Rep. Alex Cornell du Houx, D-Brunswick, confirmed Saturday that he has reached a legal agreement with the female lawmaker who accused him of stalking and threatening her.

Rep. Erin Herbig, D-Belfast, secured a temporary protection from abuse order from a Belfast District Court judge alleging that Cornell du Houx, her former boyfriend, had taken photos of her while she slept and had acted in a threatening manner.

The accusations touched off a media firestorm as the messy breakup between the two young lawmakers went public. A court hearing had been scheduled for Monday to determine whether the protection order would be extended.

However, the attorneys for the two sides reached an agreement late Friday evening. Cornell du Houx declined to offer additional details, citing a confidentiality agreement.

“We are satisfied with the agreement reached,” he said. “The temporary order will be withdrawn on Monday.”

Cornell du Houx reaffirmed Saturday that he would continue to “serve the people of Brunswick,” but that he has asked for an excused absence for the remainder of the session.

Advertisement

“It is highly unlikely that there will be any tiebreaker votes, and I wanted to calm the situation so everyone can focus on working for the people of Maine,” he said.

Cornell du Houx added, “I have the highest respect for Rep. Herbig.”

Chris MacLean, Herbig’s attorney, confirmed that Cornell du Houx signed a settlement agreement about 11:30 p.m. Friday. He added that he will file court documents on Monday withdrawing Herbig’s original request for a hearing.

MacLean declined to discuss details of the settlement, but said that Herbig was “very happy” with the outcome and was looking forward to returning to Augusta when the Legislature reconvenes Tuesday.

“Her decision to come forward and seek court protection was not easy,” MacLean said in a statement, “but I hope the positive outcome for her will show others in her situation that they need not be afraid to come forward to seek protection.”

MacLean said Herbig would release a statement on Monday. He said she wouldn’t comment on confidential details of the agreement, however she may comment on “Mr. (Cornell) du Houx’s withdrawal from the Legislature.”

Advertisement

Cornell du Houx would not comment on whether he would abandon his re-election bid.

If he does end his campaign he may wait until after the June primary to do so. A spokeswoman for the Secretary of State recently told the Press Herald that it’s too late to remove Cornell du Houx’s name from the primary ballot.

Additionally, withdrawing before the primary could leave Democrats without a candidate in November, according to state election law. If Cornell du Houx waits until after the primary to withdraw, the Brunswick Democratic Committee would have a short period of time to draft a new candidate. 

MacLean, speaking on Herbig’s behalf, said the 31-year-old lawmaker will “absolutely be running for re-election this fall.”


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.